Explosive-engine



A. C. BENNETTa EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLucATloN FILED APR. 8. 1915.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

3 SHEETSQSHEET 1.

A. C. BENNETT.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AFIN. I915.

1,828,484, Patented 52111.20, 1920.

f2?, 2 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. C. BENNETT.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED APII. 8. 1915.

1,328,484, Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ASHLEY C. BENNETT, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

nxPLosIvE-ENGINE.

. Speoiiication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application 1 ed April 8, 1915. Serial No. 19,862.

new and useful Improvements in Explosive-- Engines, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to explosive engines and has for its object to provide the cylinder of the engine with an inner sleeve valve i-n Vwhich the piston reciprocates, in combination with means for rotating said valve so that the side thrust of the piston will be against all parts of the interior of the valve and the vwear of the same will be uniform. It is also an object of my invention to effect in a novel manner the charging and exhaust of the cylinder` by means of said rotating sleeve. A further object of my invention is to apply the rotating sleeve to a multiple cylinder rotary gas engine of the fixed crank type, and to rovide novel means for rotating the multiplicity of sleeves provided in such a cylinder. A further object of my invention is to provide adjustable means for controlling the rotation of all of the valve sleeves such that the point of charging and exhaust in reference to the cycle of operations may be controlled at the will of the operator.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereof and are particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating the application of my invention in one form,-

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a multiple cylinder explosive engine having my improvements connected thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of one unit of said engine taken along the crank shaft. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of some parts shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views of one of the cylinders through the charging and exhaust ports, respectively, showing the relative position of the ports when exhaust has just been completed and charging is about to begin. Figs. 6 and 7 are corresponding views showing the position of the ports at the beginning of compression. Figs. 8 and 9 show the relative position of the ports after compression and firing and just before exhaust begins to take place.

In the application of the invention shown,

a fixed crank shaft 10 is carried by brackets .11 and 12. Upon the crank shaft 10 a cas- 111g .13 is journaled to rotate -upon all ball bearlngs 14 and 15 and this casing carries a plurality of cylinders. In the form shown, there ,are live of such cylinders 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 which extend radially from the center of the crank shaft 10 and may be of the usual type provided with ribs or radiating members. In each of the cylinders is a piston 21. The piston 21 in cylinder 16 is pivotally connected to a piston rod 22 which is rigid on a hub 23 journaled upon a crank portion 24 of crank shaft 1Q. Each of the pistons 21 in cylinders 17, 18, 19, and 2O are pivotally connectedwith piston rods 24 each of which is pivotally connected with the hub 23. This is a common form of rotary motor. The explosions take place in the different cylinders in the order as the cylinders are numbered '16, 18, 20, 17, 19,

rect or through a counter shaft as the shaft 25 which has pinion 26 meshing with gear 27 on casing 13.

The valve operating mechanism is the same for each of the multiple cylinders and may be applied to the rotary type engine or any other form of a gas engine. The description of this valve mechanism in respect to any one unit of the engine will, therefore, apply for the entire engine. Secured to casing 13 is an annular drum or extension 28 which has connected therewith a series of pipes 29, each communicating with the interior of the extension 28 through openings or ports 30. The pipes 29 at their other ends are in communication with ports 31 entering an annular passageway 32 extending about a semi-circumference of the cylinders and opening at opposite ends through ports 33 and 34 through the walls of said cylinder. The casing 28 is provided with an inwardly turned lip 35 which is engaged by a cap 36 secured to crank shaft 10, a packing ring 37 extending between the cap 36 and the carbureter is fed into the chamber 42- from withinextension 28 and cap 36 from -which such exploslve mixture is adapted to pass through pipes 29 to the several annular passageways 32 and from each of them through ports 33 and 34 into cylinders whenever said portsare opened to the cylinders. rlhe exhaust of gases from the cylinders will be directly into atmosphere through ports 43 and 44 in alinement with the intake ports and extending through the walls of the cylinder close to the ends thereof.

The opening and closing of these ports in properly timed sequence is alected by a sleeve 45 rotatably mounted in the cylinder and rotated at such speed relative to the operation of the engine (whether one cylinder or many are employed, or whether the engine is of the rotary or the ordinary reciprocati type) that charging and exhaust will ta e place in properly timed sequence. The sleeve 45 is important not only as a valve member for controlling the admission and exhaust ports, but said sleeve also has the extremely important function of constantly changing the bearin surface of the piston within the cylinder. t is well known that in the case of any reciprocating piston there will be during certain parts of the movement thereof a side thrust. This has the eect of wearing`the interior of the cylinder along certain lines so that said cylinders require regrinding or become useless after a relatively small amount of use and long before the cylinder as a whole is badly worn. The sleeve valves rotating about a central axis constantly chan e the wearing surface to the piston so that ne wear on the sleeve is uniform throughout its circumference. The sleeve will thus keep a tight fit in respect to the piston for a long tlme and when the same is worn sufficiently to require it it can readily be replaced without the necessity of removing the cylinder for regrinding. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sleeves 45 have at their outer end a lip 46 which enters a groove in the end of the cylinder and have ,secured thereto a spur gear 47. rlihe gear 47 is provided with ball receiving grooves 48 on the sides the sides thereof and in these grooves and similar grooves 49 in annular bearing blocks 50 are.

rows ofy ball bearings 51. The bearing blocks 50 engage annular shoulders 52 and 53 formed in the casing 13 and by these means the sleeve 45 is held from longitudinal displacement and at the same time is freely rotatable within the cylinders. Mesh-- ing with gear 47 is a pinion 54 on a shaft 55 which is 'ournaled in a boxing 56 secured to the inner wall of casing 13, The

shafts 55 are provided with spiral gears 57 all of which mesh with a wide spiral ear 58 on a sleeve 59 splined to the crank s aft 10 and movable along the same by means of a hand lever 60 having a fork 61 en ageable in a groove ring 62 formed on the s ecve 59. It wi1l'-be apparent that as the casing 13 is rotated it carries the spiral gears 57 around the stationary spiral gear 58,.this having the result of rotating the gears 57 and shafts 55'which through pinion 54 and gears 47 rotates the valve sleeves 45.

In the form of the invention herein shown, the sleeves 45 are rotated one-fourth of a revolution for each complete'revolution of the casing 13 about the crank shaft where the crank shaft is stationary or for each rev-l olution of the crank shaft in forms of engines in which the crank shaft is rotated. Thus in a four cycle engine the sleeve will be given one complete revolution for each four revolutions of the crank shaft or rotor.- In this form, the sleeve is provided with a pair of diametricallyopposite admission ports 63 and a pair of diametrically opposite exhaust ports 64 having a relative position in the sleeve, shown in Figs. 4.and 5, and of course, being in the respective planes of the admission openings 33 and 34 and exhaust openings 43 and 44. Pairs of admission ports in the sleeves 45 are requisite where opposite pairs of admission ports and exhaust ports are provided in the cylinders; and there is a marked advantage in providing the ports in pairs because during compression and explosion the pressure upon the sleevc` will thus be balanced, there always being equal areas on opposite sides whichl are not subject to the pressure. lt is obvious, however, that single admission and exhaust ports may beprovided in cylinder and sleeves in which case the rate of rotation of the sleeve would be doubled, that is, it would make one complete revolution for each two revolutions of the crank sha or rotor. It is also clear that the invention may be applied to cylinders and sleeves having a. greater number of admission ports and exhaust ports than two.l The point of exhaust and admission of all of the cylinders may be simultaneously advanced or retarded as desired by sliding the spiral gear 58 through operation of ear 60. It will be apparent that sliding t is gear will rotate the spiral gears 57 and through the 'connections thereto will rotate the sleeves 45, thus varying the position of the ports in the sleeve relative to the operation of the engine.

The successive operative positions of the ports through a part of a cycle, that is through a half revolution of sleeve 45 is well shown in Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive. ln Fig. 4 exhaust has just taken place. The exhaust sleeve ports 64 have moved away from registry with the exhaust cylinder ports 43 and 44 and the intake sleeve ports 63 are just at the point of coming oplptpsite the intake cylinder ports 33 and 34. the position of the ports as shownin Figs. 6 and 7, the exhaust ports remain closed, the intake ports have become closed and compression is started. In the position of the parts as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, compression has been completed, the charge has been red and nearly expanded, and the exhaust ports are about to open. At the completion of the next half revolution of the crank shaft 0r rotor, the exhaust ports will have been opened and caused complete exhaust and the ports restored to the relative positions shown in Figs. 4 andv 5 although, owing to the fact that sleeve 46 has been turned through only a half revolution the ports 63 and 64 will be reversed in position.

The advantages and the manner of o eration of my invention have been very fu y given in connection with the detailed de' scription of the parts. -It will be apparent that an efficient drive of a rotary sleeve valve iS provided for a rotary engine which permits of advancing or retarding admission and exhaust as may be desired. The prof vision of the vrotary sleeve valve gives a most effective bearing surface for the piston while at the same time providingv a very simple and efficient control for admission v and exhaust.

cylinders rotatable about said-crank s aft,

a sleeve for each cylinder, a piston operating in each sleeve, said cylinders and sleeves-being provided with coperating ports whereby rotation of the sleeves will control the admission and exhaust of each cylinder, a spiral gear on the crankshaft, a shaft having operative connection with each sleeve, each of said shafts having a spiral gear meshing with the spiral gear on the crank shaft Awhereby rotation of the shafts with the cylinders will rotate the sleeves, and

Ameans to slide the crankshaft spiral gear for simultaneously varying the relation of the cylinder ports and sleeve ports in each cylinder to advance or retard the point of beginning o'f admission and exhaust as may be desired.

2. A rotary explosive engine comprising a fixed crank shaft and a luralit of cylmders rotatable about said cran shaft, a sleeve in each cylinder, a piston operating in each sleeve, said cylinders and sleeves being provided with coperating ports whereby rotation of the sleeves will control the admission and exhaust of each cylinder, a sleeve splined to the crank shaft and having thereon a spiral gear, a shaft having operative connection with each sleeve, each of said sleeves having a spiral gear meshin Y with the spiral gear on the crank sha whereby rotation-of the shafts with the cylinders will rotate the sleeves, and means to slide the sleeve on the crank shaft for simultaneously varying the relation of the cylinder ports and sleeve ports in each cylinder to advance or retard the point of beginning of admission and exhaust, as may be desired.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence oi two witnesses.l

ASHLEY C. BENNETT. Witnesses.

F. A. WHITEIEY, H. A. BOWMAN'. 

